Marauder Mayhem
by ArtemisEpona
Summary: This is a story about the marauders from the time they graduated Hogwarts to the time they went their separate ways.
1. Sirius Smells a Rat

**Chapter 1**

Peter tried to enter the Great Hall without being noticed. This was a task, as barely anyone had come to breakfast so early. But this had been Peter's plan: if he got in and out of breakfast before the others, then they would not have a chance to gang up on him before lunch. Until then he would avoid them in class, sit in the very front seats where the professors could see him, and if push came to shove he would pretend to be ill to escape the wrath of his friends.

Peter found a seat near the staff's long table and sat down, pulling the butter to himself with glee as his beady eyes darted around the Great Hall. No sign of James and Sirius. His plan was working so far --

"Hey, Peter, ol' pal!" hissed James's sarcastic voice in Peter's ear.

Peter winced as his friends sat with a thunk on either side of him. They were in their seventh year and even more intimidating to him than ever. As first-years this had been their attraction, but ever since the incident with the map . . .

"You rat," James hissed in Peter's ear, "You sold us out! Where's the map?"

Peter trembled and said nothing. James wouldn't hex him in the Great Hall, not in front of so many watching eyes. All he had to do was say nothing and continue to eat . . . If James got hotheaded a teacher would rescue him. After all, they all knew what a bully James had been before he'd started dating Lily . . .

"Speak up," Sirius hissed, "or do you want us to worm it out of you later?" His wand was in his hand and his teeth flashed through his phony smile.

They were putting on a play for the teachers, pretending to be laughing and joking while in reality they hissed threats in Peter's ear.

"We know you stole it," James was saying in an undertone while pretending to laugh with Sirius.

The two of them pulled phony grins and slapped the table as one of the teachers eyed them, but Sirius's wand found Peter's hand as it was reaching to scratch his knee under the table.

"Tell me, Wormtail, do you like tentacles?" Sirius sneered. His wand prodded Peter's hand painfully. "Tell us where it is -- or it's slime and suction cups all the way."

"You -- you wouldn't!" Peter squeaked. "Not with teachers --"

James laughed, "You think the two of us are afraid of detention?" He looked at Sirius and they both burst into laughter.

"We saw you with the caretaker, Wormtail," Sirius said, "You gave it to him, didn't you? What did he give you for it?"

"A sense of safety and belonging under his stinking protection? Is that what you've become -- a snitch!" James growled.

"You handed in our names to him!" erupted Sirius, and James punched him lightly on the arm and jerked his head at the teachers.

"I can get it back!" wheezed Peter and went into his groveling, crouching mode as he shakily dropped the toast he'd been nibbling.

"You'd better," Sirius hissed. "We could get into serious trouble for that."

"And if you don't get it back," James added darkly, "we'll be hexing more than your hand, Wormtail."

But as James and Sirius were leaving the Great Hall, tall bodies swaggering confidently as Sirius snatched the toast from the Slytherin table, Peter glared after them. He would never steal the map back. James and Sirius were now a part of his past. He had found bigger bullies to follow, Death Eaters who were twice as cruel as they. The caretaker had shown him, had told him about the Death Eaters and the mighty lord they followed. This mighty lord was recruiting even now, and anyone who might stand against him in the school -- anyone -- had to be weeded out. That included James, Sirius, and Remus -- even the mudblood girl James was dating. There would be no mercy for those who would not follow his lord.


	2. Lily Lends a Hand

Chapter 2

Avoiding Padfoot and Prongs wasn't as easy as Wormtail had anticipated. During the rest of the day, his path was frequently crossed by his ex-best friends, who sneered at him as they passed and slammed their shoulders into him.

Once, after Sirius had tripped Peter, James hexed him in the butt as he was bending to collect his belongings so that several brown, cloudy bubbles erupted from his trousers every time he moved. The halls roared with laughter while Remus hurried past, eyes averted, and Lily told James off loudly enough for him to escape a detention: the headmaster figured he had been punished badly enough by his girlfriend.

"You promised!" Lily fired at James as she followed him, furious, into the Gryffindor common room.

Snickering, Sirius told his best mate he'd meet him later at lunch.

James winced as every person in the common room looked around openly to see the inevitable argument. He thought of escaping to the boys' dormitories, but that was cowardly, so he turned around to face Lily, hands shoved guiltily in his pockets.

"I really thought you had grown up! What an idiot I was!" Lily was saying angrily.

Time to turn on the pouty eyes, James thought to himself and then looked at Lily with the large, wet eyes of an abashed puppy, "Look, there was a reason for it! I have to watch out for my own neck!"

Lily quieted but narrowed her vivid green eyes at him nonetheless, "What's your excuse this time? And you can drop the puppy-eye face."

James winced; Lily had always been too sharp for him. He looked at her sincerely, and she could tell that when he spoke it was the truth, "Wormtail's a two-timing rat, Lily. Take my word for it. If I don't get -- something -- back from him-- I could get into big trouble for what he's handed in. And if the -- thing -- gets to Voldemort --"

Several people in the room winced visibly and few first-year girls shrieked and tumbled from their chairs.

"-- then he'll know every corner, crack, and secret passage in the school -- and it will be my fault! We all know the caretaker is a Death Eater."

"We shouldn't be talking about this here," Lily whispered.

James glanced over his shoulder. People were stealing furtive glances at them over the tops of their books. "Right. I'll get my old cloak --"

James took Lily's hand and together they slipped from the common room back into the hall outside.

"Looks like James and Lily are missing again," Sirius snickered to Remus as he sat down in the Great Hall.

It was lunch time, and the hall buzzed with the happy chatter of Hogwarts students. Along the Gryffindor table, Peter was no where to be seen.

Remus avoided Sirius's eyes carefully as he spoke, "Well . . . I'm hardly surprised since they ARE dating . . ."

Sirius frowned, "What's been up with you lately, Moony? Ever since James and Lily --" but he stopped and grew very still, a dog sensing a rabbit. Then a smile spread across his face as a tubby young boy slipped carefully into the hall. "I smell a rat!"

Remus frowned, concentrated on his sandwich, and said nothing. If James and Sirius wanted to spend their lives bullying people around, fine. He would take no part in it. And, anyway, how could he hope to stand up to them without losing them as his friends?

Peter entered the Great Hall carefully, his beady eyes darting around, but Sirius shouted, "Oi! Think fast!" aimed a silent curse at him, and sent tubby boy sliding several feet across the floor and straight out of the Great Hall again, as if someone had spilled invisible marbles. The hall filled with laughter and Sirius was called, grinning roguishly, to the staff table.

"You want me . . . to help you steal an old bit of parchment?" Lily demanded incredulously of James.

They were huddled together in an old storage room conveniently hidden behind a tapestry.

"Oh, come on! You're a favorite! No one would suspect you! But if I got caught with my hand in the caretaker's file cabinet --"

"They'd skin you alive," finished Lily and sighed. "I never thought going out with you would make me into a Marauder . . ."

James grinned, "You snatch that parchment back for us, and I'll personally put you in the intro."

"The what?" Lily shook her head. "But what is the parchment? Some kind of prank that you and Sirius invented to torment people?" she demanded crossly.

"Lily . . ."

"I'm not helping until you tell me what it is I'm stealing, James," she answered firmly and stood so resolutely rooted to the spot, that James sighed and slouched, defeated, onto an upturned mop bucket.

"Alright, alright. The parchment is actually . . . well . . ." He sighed again and looked directly into Lily's eyes, "The parchment is a map of the school we Marauders made together. Took us years to make that -- and if the Death Eaters get their hands on it --"

Lily touched James's shoulder, "I understand. This isn't just about saving your neck -- for once."

"So, you'll help?" James asked hopefully.

Lily sighed.

"Cheers, Lily!" grinned James, then he leapt up, kissed Lily's cheek, and whipped a mirror out of his baggy back pocket.

"That isn't . . ." said Lily slowly with wide, disapproving eyes.

"Oh, come on, Lil. You're a Marauder now. That means you can't scold me anymore," said James, rolling his eyes.

James breathed onto the mirror, polished it with his sleeve, and tapped it with his wand. At once, the surface of the mirror glared with the sort of static you'd see on a television screen, and James whispered into it, "Padfoot! Come in, Padfoot!"

"Please face the front, Mr. Black," wheezed Professor Scatwick to Sirius's back, who was busy making rude gestures at the Slytherin slouched in the far back behind him.

Sirius scowled at the Slytherin, turned around, and continued pretending to write his lines. He was just wondering what silent curse he could aim over his shoulder when a warm sensation in his back pocket made him sit bolt-upright.

"Alright, Mr. Black?" wheezed the professor.

"Yea- I mean, no, no," said Sirius, pulling a few phony coughs, "I reckon I'd better run to the toilet, sir. I'm afraid today's pudding didn't agree with me . . ."

"Alright, then, alright. Hurry back, Mr. Black, or it will be another detention tomorrow night," allowed the professor and Sirius whizzed out of the room.

Once alone in an empty classroom, Sirius whipped out his own two-way mirror and grinned down at the bespectacled face grinning up at him.

"So," said Sirius breathlessly, "she said she'll do it?" Behind James he heard Lily make an angry noise and cry, "What?"

James nodded up at him, "Yup. Now all we need is a diversion."

A slow grin spread over Sirius's face, "I've got the perfect guy."

"Peter ol' pal!" cried Sirius as he entered the passage leading to the Fat Lady.

Peter gave a squeak of fright and scurried for the door, but Sirius caught the back of his robes and yanked him back. A few second-years hung back, anticipating a fight, but Remus appeared from a side corridor and shooed them away.

"What's going on?" Remus asked Sirius as casually as he could, but there was no mistaking the tired look in his eyes.

"M-Moony -- he's gonna hurt me -- p-please -- s-stop him --" sputtered Peter shrilly.

Sirius's face burst into mock indignance, "Now why would I want to do that? We're friends, aren't we, Peter?"

"Sirius . . ." began Remus warily.

Peter made to scurry away again, but Sirius held him tight, "Oh, come on, Moony! When's the last time we had a get-together? In fact, I was thinking we could all head out to the quidditch pitch . . . maybe do some moonlighting . . ."

"Without James?" Remus said shrewdly. "What's really going on? Where's James?" and he looked over his shoulder as if expecting to see James come strolling up the corridor hand in hand with Lily.

Sirius lowered his voice as a group of giggling six-year girls passed them, "It's about the map, alright?"

Remus went rigid.

"We're not going to hurt the twerp!" Sirius cried in a fierce undertone as a few of the girls paused to try and catch his attention. "We just need him to create a diversion . . ."

Padfoot and Moony stared into a each others' eyes a long moment and it seemed a silent understanding passed between them.

Remus nodded, Sirius grinned.

Then both of them upheld Peter's pudgy hands, pointed his wand at the ceiling, and the corridor exploded in a hail of rock and debris. Several professors and students on the floor above drifted down through the ceiling like feathers, their eyes wide in their apparent shock and alarm. The entire floor above was caving in, but no one was hurt because a floating charm had been put on everything. Suits of armor, muttering statues, desks and chairs came floating down like bubbles to the floor below, and in the hail of quills, ink bottles, parchment and dust, Sirius and Remus disappeared, leaving Peter standing with his wand raised.

"Pettigrew!" snarled Professor McGonagall as she landed, dreamlike, on the debris-covered floor, "I never -- I can't -- how dare you! Classes will have to be postponed momentarily to clean up the confusion," she said to the hall at large as student and professor alike scrambled to find their own belongings.

Several young girls still drifting to the floor were wearing skirts beneath thier robes and struggling with flushed faces to keep them down while thier fellows laughed.

Peter, standing in the middle of the dust and debris, could only manage a dull squeak as Professor McGonagall marched toward him and grabbed his ear.

"Diversion in progress," panted Sirius as he and Remus jogged to a stop outside of the caretaker's office where James and Lily waited.

"You should have seen McGonagall," said Remus and shot Lily a bright grin unnoticed by James.

Lily grinned back at him and looked nervously at her boyfriend.

"Yeah," panted Sirius and gave his bark-like laugh as he rolled through a handshake with James, "she almost had sparks flying out of her nose!"

"Wicked," James said appreciatively, then turned his attention to Lily, "Ready, Evans? It's your time to shine."

Lily smirked, "So now I'm 'Evans', am I?"

"I meant, 'Lil'" James said uncomfortably. He looked at Sirius and Remus as Lily disappeared into the office, "You two are lookouts One and Two. I'm lookout . . . Zero . . ." He lifted the invisibility cloak and whirled it around himself.

Sirius laughed as his friend disappeared on the spot, "Yeah, just don't get too carried away in there and forget what we're after."

James laughed too as he followed Lily inside. Sirius went to his post at the end of the hall. None of them saw the troubled expression on Remus's face.

"I still don't see why you have to call me 'Evans' in front of your friends," Lily grumbled as she searched the caretaker's files.

"Will you just --" began James crossly from under his cloak, but Lily cried, "Got it!" and waved a blank bit of parchment in the air.

"Great!" came James's voice from the door, "Now hurry up! We --"

A large, white wolf flashed past the door.

"That was Moony's Patronus -- someone's coming -- quick!" cried James, and he whirled the cloak over Lily.

Together they sped up the corridor, passed the grumbling caretaker as he approached his office, and joined Sirius, who was squeezing behind a tapestry hanging over a small flight of stairs. It was very hard for two seventh-years to run together under an invisibility cloak, so James yanked the cloak off and stuffed it up his shirt again. The three of them dashed around a corner and up another flight of stairs.

"Alibis?" croaked James breathlessly as they ran.

"Moony will say he was in the library -- which'll work since he had his books . . ." panted Sirius, "I was in detention, which I should be getting back to right now . . ."

James and Lily looked at each other nervously.

"Hey!" wheezed a gruff voice behind them and they heard the unmistakable pounding of the caretaker's feet, "No running in the halls! If it weren't . . . for my rheumatism . . ."

They paused in the corridor, frightened rabbits trapped in a snare.

Then Sirius grinned abruptly, "Hey, as long as you two are together, you'll always have an alibi -- you're dating!" He waved, "Catch ya later!" and was gone through a door pretending to be the wall.

Before James could think, Lily had pulled him into an empty classroom and thrown her arms around him. Seconds later, the door burst open and their evil caretaker stomped inside, stopping short when he saw the two locked together.

"What do you think you're doing in here, eh?" the caretaker demanded.

Lily pretended to be flustered and smoothed her lustrous, red hair, "We -- we were, um . . ." She glanced at James, who was still stunned by the kiss she'd given him, and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ouch! Lily! We -- we got side tracked . . ." he added lamely.

The caretaker snorted, "Well, make sure you don't get sidetracked no more. Now get out!"

They were moving past the caretaker when his eye caught the corner of parchment sticking from Lily's sleeve. He jerked her back by the arm, and flushed and stunned, Lily brushed him off.

"What's the big idea!" roared James.

But the caretaker settled his beady eye on Lily's sleeve, "What's that in your sleeve, girl! Give it to me!"

Lily drew herself up, "No! It's a love letter and it's none of your business!"

James lifted his eyebrows, impressed with the readiness of this lie.

"It's nothing of the sort!" snarled the caretaker. "It's me map, I know it is! Now give it!" and he snatched her forward by the arm again.

In a flash, James had his wand out, "Back off, old man! I'm warning you!"

The caretaker backed off, but his beady eyes remained fixed on Lily's sleeve as she massaged her wrist with dignity.

"I know you, girl," the caretaker slurred. "You're that mudblood (James went tense) what come up here out-doing the purebloods like you're so high and mighty just cause you can turn a teacup into a mouse! Well, I knows you ain't so high and mighty. I knows your background, your whole family, and they'll hurt if you don't hand over that map!" His eyes bulged in his head and his fists clenched as he spoke.

"It's over, Lil, give it to him," James said, watching the caretaker darkly.

Reluctantly, Lily handed the map over. The caretaker snatched it with glee in his grubby fingers. "Now get along nice like to your classes," he said nastily.

Lily moved to the door, but James held his ground.

"I'll be reporting you to the headmaster," he said grimly, "mark my words."


	3. The Quartet Quarel

Chapter 3

The caretaker was dismissed later that same day.

"I'm glad you found you could confide in me about the caretaker, James," said Dumbledore from behind his desk as he surveyed James serenely over the top of his half-moon spectacles. A hard glint came into his eye, "I have suspected the caretaker for some time, but I could hardly dismiss him without proof, you understand."

James glowered at his left knee, remembering how the caretaker had called Lily a mudblood, "Oh, yeah, he was one of them, alright."

"And you gave me proof enough to rid us forever of his presence!" Dumbledore smiled, "You've done well, James, very well."

James cleared his throat, trying not to appear too pleased. Ever since his father had died last fall, Dumbledore had become more and more of a good friend to him, and he knew it wasn't a coincidence. Dumbledore knew how it felt to lose someone, after all. He had called James to his office with the news and sat him down. McGonagall, his head of house, had been there too, and Padfoot. It had been embarrassing and heartrending at once. He'd wanted to cry, but all he could do was squeeze his wand until it almost broke in his fist and Sirius had to pry it from his hand. McGonagall had squeezed his shoulder and later, both she and Sirius had left, leaving him to have a long but comforting talk with the headmaster.

"And now there is only the small matter of what exactly it was you were doing when you so stumbled upon our caretaker's apparent hate for muggle borns."

James looked up. Dumbledore was watching him closely, the blue eyes twinkling. He shifted uncomfortably. He knew exactly what he'd been doing when the caretaker had threatened Lily. He'd been stealing an incriminating piece of parchment, and -- what was worse -- he'd been caught in an empty classroom with Lily's arms around him. If he told Dumbledore what he'd been up to, he would not only be incriminating his friends, he'd get Lily into trouble too -- Lily who had such a perfect record and everything going for her.

Maybe Dumbledore would understand? But he looked up at the patient smile on the old man's face and decided against it. Dumbledore was his friend, but he was also his headmaster. He wouldn't dare try to take advantage of their friendship. That would be wrong, ratlike -- Wormtail-like.

And besides, if he lost his friendship with Dumbledore, to whom would he turn when he needed to talk to someone? Sirius would never understand his grief. Sirius shared a mutual hate with his father. And Remus? Remus was too wrapped up in being a werewolf and whatever else had been bothering him this year. Remus thought they didn't notice, but they'd seen the miserable expression often on his face lately. And what about Lily? He could never burden her with his problems -- never.

I'd better just tell him the partial truth, James decided. He looked up. "Lily and I were, er, well . . ." How could he say he'd been caught snogging his girlfriend? "We were in an empty classroom . . ." His voice trailed off, but Dumbledore already seemed to know.

"Ah, you were studying," he said, smiling serenely as he put a delicate emphasis on the word "studying." With all the teenagers in the school, "studying" had become a sort of code word for snogging. The headmaster knew what they'd been doing, but -- for James' sake -- he wasn't going to let on.

James squirmed uncomfortably, "Yeah, something like that . . ."

Dumbledore gave a slight nod, "I see. Well, I can hardly punish you anymore than you've already been punished today, what with Miss Evans's embarrassing lecture at you in the hall and then the humiliating encounter with the caretaker. I think you've learned your lesson, don't you?"

James stared at him, unable to believe he'd gotten away with something again. But he certainly had learned his lesson, and he assured the headmaster of such readily.

"Well, then, that will be all, James," Dumbledore said quietly.

James rose from his seat and had his hand on the doorknob when Dumbledore stopped him.

"Oh, and James?"

James looked back, "Yes, sir?"

"The map will have to stay in the caretaker's cabinet for now, understand?"

James stared at him, astonished, but Dumbledore winked, "Good afternoon, James."

"Wicked! You always get away with stuff!" crowed Sirius later that night when James had told his friends about his narrow escape in Dumbledore's office.

They were in the seventh-year boys' dormitory and Sirius was charming his sheets to unfold themselves. They flew up into the air, spread out, and lay waiting in a messy heap for Sirius to crawl on top of them, much like a dog in a nest of leaves. Sirius threw himself on the rumpled bed and grinned at his friends from under a pillow.

Remus's face had been drawn miserably, but he laughed at Sirius, "And I thought nothing was thicker than your fur!"

"It's like Dumbledore knows everything . . ." James continued, sighing like he'd just narrowly missed catching his foot in a bear trap. He flopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Well, he does, doesn't he? It's his job," shrugged Sirius. He rolled over, a stupid doggish look of ecstasy on his face that made James laugh, and frowned at Remus. "Hey, Moony, what's that?"

"What?" said Remus absently.

A small piece of parchment had fallen from Remus's bag as he was pulling on his pajamas.

"That!" cried Sirius, and snatched up the parchment before Remus had his head through his pajamas. His eyes scanned the parchment quickly and a wicked smile spread on his face. "Oh ho, ho! Look at this, Prongs! Our boy Moony's got a girlfriend!"

Remus's head burst through the neck of his pajamas, a look of panic on his face. "Sirius!" he cried, snatching at the parchment as Sirius waved it out of reach, "Sirius -- don't -- you don't understand --"

But Sirius balled the parchment up and threw it over Remus's head, crying, "Prongs! Oi!"

James sat up and snatched the balled up piece of parchment out of the air a Snitch, smirking as Sirius barred Remus's efforts to get the parchment back. It was too late. James uncrumpled the parchment, and as he read it, a furious, twisted scowl came over his face that became more and more pronounced as he read. His face was beet red when he looked up and the parchment was a crumpled mass in his hand.

James stood up, furious, spit flying from his mouth, "It's from Lily! It's from Lily -- you two timing -- you back stabbing --"

"James!" Sirius shouted, astonished at James's sudden and apparent need to smash Remus into applesauce. "What -- it can't be true!"

"It is!" shouted James furiously, his glasses askew in his efforts to get at Remus around Sirius, and he thrust the mass of paper at his friend.

Sirius unrolled the parchment and as he read the name signed at the bottom, a look of miserable comprehension spread over his face.

"I told you to give it to me!" Remus roared angrily at Sirius and then to James, "I can explain --"

"You'd better!" James roared, "Because if I find out you've been snogging Lily behind my back --"

"Shut up! You'll wake the whole tower!" Sirius cautioned.

James and Remus cast Sirius furious looks. "Butt out!" they bellowed at him.

Sirius gawked at them angrily, threw the parchment against the wall, and stormed to his four-poster, where he wrenched the curtains around his bed so hard, one of them ripped and he had to repair it with his wand.

"I haven't been snogging Lily," Remus said cautiously, gesturing with his hands for James to calm down.

"What's that letter all about then?" James demanded, his fist balled and itching to collide with Remus's head.

Remus sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, "That's an old letter, James. An old letter that I've been hanging on to. You see . . . " He sighed heavily as if he was about to testify guilty to a crime."Lily and I . . . we dated last year --"

"What!" yelled James and Sirius (Sirius's voice came from behind his curtains).

"When were you planning on telling us -- me!" James demanded.

"Never!" Remus bellowed back, "Because I knew you'd act like this!"

"Like what!"

Remus got to his feet again. They both had their wands out and were yelling into each others' faces when Peter came strolling into the dormitory, looking apprehensive. He spotted their argument and backed out in alarm, but Sirius aimed a curse at him between his curtains that sent him flying through the air and crashing into his own bed.

"Stick around, Wormtail, things are getting interesting," Sirius said grimly.

"You're acting like a maniac!" Remus was shouting.

"Don't -- you --" sputtered James stupidly, seeing red as he struggled to find a horrible enough name to call Remus.

"Lily isn't the only girl on the planet!" Sirius shouted suddenly, unable to contain himself. He was still hurt that his friends had yelled at him.

"That's rich coming from a guy who hasn't dated anyone since, when, second year?" retorted James.

"Yeah, what was her name?" piped in Peter with apparent glee. He loved to see his friends arguing.

"Anita!" yelled Sirius, scowling at Peter, "And who asked you, bubble butt?" He sent the cloud-bubble charm shooting across the room at Peter, who squealed and retaliated with a fierce onslaught of flimsy feather hexes.

Sirius laughed and shook the feathers out of his hair. "Is that all you can do?" he said, brushing the massive pile off his bed. "Come on, Wormtail, show me what you got!"

But Peter never got to teach Sirius the lesson he as asking for. The dormitory door burst open, and an infuriated Professor McGonagall stormed in. She paused, taking in Remus and James with their wands pointed in each others' faces and Sirius and Peter: one covered in feathers and the other hiccupping dirty bubbles in frequent burps. The party of four froze when their head of house entered and looked down guiltily beneath her quivering nostrils.


	4. Marauders Forever

Chapter Four

Each Marauder was sent to his own corner of the castle to perform muggle cleaning with a Slytherin supervisor. The next day at breakfast, each Marauder had his own corner of the Gryffindor table as well.

"What's going on?" Lily asked James uncertainly as she sat down. He was glowering at his sausage and hacking it up as violently as if it had done him a great personal wrong.

James shot a filthy look at Lily, "Why didn't you tell me you dated Remus?"

Lily looked taken aback. She recovered herself quickly and answered coolly, "And what business was it of yours what I did last year? I wasn't dating you."

James scowled at his plate, shoveled food in his mouth, and said nothing.

"I really thought you had grown up," Lily continued when James said nothing, "but you're really starting to prove me wrong -- first yesterday's episode and then today -- " When James continued to ignore her, she took a deep shuddering breath and continued, "I'm starting to wonder -- "

"Wonder what?" James said darkly, looking up. But he already knew what she'd say before she said it.

"If we shouldn't see other people!" she snarled, green eyes flashing.

Heart pounding furiously, James stood up over her and shouted loud enough for the Great Hall to hear, "Well, you're already seeing Remus anyway -- so what does it matter!"

The Great Hall fell silent as everyone stared at the couple.

"Don't you ever in your life yell at me like that!" Lily fired back, standing up and taking a step forward in her turn. "All my friends were right, everyone was right -- you're just a spoilt child!" And instead of marching dramatically past him out of the Great Hall, she sat back down and turned to her plate, leaving James standing foolishly as everyone stared at him.

Anita entered the girls' toilet after lunch, chatting with a few other seventh-year friends, but the girls' merry chatting was silenced when they heard the unmistakable sobbing of a girl in one of the cubicles. Anita told the others she'd catch up, and the other girls left reluctantly, looking worriedly over their shoulders at the stall from which the soft sobbing was coming.

Anita went to the stall and knocked softly. It wasn't Moaning Myrtle's crying. Everyone knew how she sounded -- the toilet would splash and she would howl. No, this was a living, breathing girl crying softly, it sounded, into her hands. When the sobbing continued, Anita knocked again. After a moment, the door creaked open and a vivid green eye appeared in the crack, reddened from its fierce crying.

"Oh, Lily," Anita said sympathetically. "I've never seen you cry in my life! What is it?"

Lily hung her head and walked out of the stall past Anita. She stood before the sink and wiped her eyes on a tissue, trying to stifle her hiccups by biting her lips. She could see Anita's worried reflection in the glass and said at last, "It's J-James . . ."

Anita frowned and shook her head "Lil --"

"I know what you're going to say," Lily interjected wearily. "I just don't need any 'I told you sos' right now. I knew he was immature, bullying, conceited . . ."

Anita frowned, nodded righteously, and opened her mouth as if to add more unkind names, but Lily continued over her in the same choked voice:

"B-but he has a completely different side to him! He cares about doing what's right! He's s-smart and brave, and he can be kind when he's not too ashamed of it to show it . . ."

"Lily," said Anita reasonably, "if all that's true, why are you crying in the girls' toilet?"

Lily scowled at her reflection as if ashamed of herself. "You promise you won't tell any one?" she asked, turning to Anita.

Anita grinned, "I promise, Oh Tearless One."

They laughed together, and Anita crossed the room to Lily's side and put her arm around her.

"Lily," she said as Lily leaned her red head on her friend's shoulder, "what you need is to check out some other guy. If athletes are your thing, Brian Fenster is this year's Seeker on the Hufflepuff team."

Lily snorted, "Brian Fenster's been let back twice!"

"Oh," said Anita, who had forgotten this and could only remember Brian's good looks, "Well, there's always . . ."

"Look, Anita, I know what you're trying to do, but James is --"

"Sweet and charming and blah, blah, blah," said Anita, rolling her eyes good naturedly.

Lily laughed, "Yeah. I feel like we belong together, like there's something -- something special we're going to do that will save our world!" She beamed. "I sound crazy, don't I?"

"At least you're back to normal," joked Anita as Lily pretended to scowl at her. "But what is it you're going to do about James?"

Lily walked over to the mirror, primped her hair, and smiled at her reflection. She was very pretty, even when she had been crying, and her long red hair shone more lustrous than ever. When she turned to Anita, it bounced on her shoulders with body. She grinned wickedly, "There's never been a Marauder that could resist being up to no good."

When James got Lily's note to meet her on the bridge after sunset he assumed that she wanted to make up with him and was glad when Anita slipped him the note in the library. The argument with Lily in the Great Hall nagged at his conscience constantly. He had thought often of stopping her in the corridors, cornering her somewhere, and apologizing for his childishness, but every time he thought of Remus kissing Lily, and his anger surged afresh. He would, of course, forgive her in the end, but it would not be easy.

He felt that Lily's secret concerning Remus had been a betrayal on his part. Why had she not just confided in him? Had she, like Remus, predicted an unnecessary argument?

Frowning to himself, he rounded a corner, walked past the entrance to the Great Hall, and -- when he was certain no one would see him -- slipped on his invisibility cloak. The bridge was a top part of the castle. It faced the South and was built almost like the battlements of one of those ancient medieval castles that hosted all the goblin wars they'd had to study.

It was a drafty night, so chilly that James' breath was a mist on the air, and James wondered suddenly why Lily would be foolish enough to drag him out here after dark when it was so cold. He was stomping grumpily along the bridge when a familiar figure stopped him short. It was a great, black dog, and it was running in circles, chasing its tail.

"You!" James cried, whipping off his cloak.

Sirius stopped chasing his tail, growled at James, and morphed at once into the tall, swaggering teenager that he was.

"You!" Sirius barked back. "What are you doing here?" He was in the middle of sneering at James, but he froze, the dog sniffing out the rabbit again and suddenly bent down and snatched up a fat rat by the tail.

"You!" Sirius and James sneered at the rat.

Peter swung in Sirius's hand, squeaking wildly.

"I guess my presence will be no more welcome than Wormtail's," said a familiar voice wearily, and Remus stepped out of the shadows of the bridge, looking guilty.

"What are you doing here?" James asked Remus roughly.

"Someone sent me a note -- I -- I thought it was a prank . . . I'm not much of a ladies' man, after all," Remus answered.

"Was it Lily?" James asked threateningly, but Remus ignored his raised wand and shook his head calmly.

"No, James, it wasn't . . ."

James looked at Sirius, "And you?"

"Anita said she'd meet me," he answered grudgingly. "Wanted to pick up where we left off in second year."

"You know who I think brought us here?" said James, lowering his wand and staring darkly from face to face, "I think it was --"

"Me?" Lily stepped out of the shadows and they all looked up. "Yeah, it was me. Someone had to make you boys play nice."

Sirius, Remus, and James all gave each other looks of disdain and turned their heads stubbornly away.

Lily sighed, "You guys have been friends for seven years! You can't just throw that away."

When they ignored her, she moved to Sirius and touched his arm, "Sirius, whatever James and Remus may have said, they didn't mean it. They were probably just arguing, am I right?"

Sirius looked at James wonderingly. "She's worse than Dumbledore!" he said, making James smile in spite of himself.

Lily looked at Remus. "And, Remus, James didn't mean to be, well -- stupid," she said, making Remus snicker and James go beet red behind her.

"And James," she moved to her boyfriend and smiled gently at him. It seemed the touch of her hand calmed him at once. "Whatever was between Remus and I is over. You know you're the only one." Her smile widened, and James was lost in her eyes.

"Now . . . lastly, let's put Peter down and forgive him too," Lily said, but this was met with the greatest objections.

"Lily! He's working for Death Eaters!"

"He betrayed us!"

"The map is gone because of him!"

"Anyone want to see a rat fly?" Sirius lifted Peter by the tail and swung him around.

Lily gasped, astonished, "Sirius, stop! That's cruel! You haven't even heard his side of the story!"

"Well, seeing as we don't speak rat --" James said, watching Peter swing with disgust, but Lily gave him a disapproving look. James sighed, "She's right, Padfoot. After all, there could be a good reason for what he did -- I guess."

Sirius dropped Peter reluctantly to the ground, and he morphed, becoming the short, chubby boy they all knew.

"Sirius -- James -- Remus -- my friends!" squeaked Peter, groveling and grinning guiltily. "You -- you don't understand -- I was bullied into it! I didn't want to turn the map in --"

"It's alright, Wormtail," said Remus wearily. "We understand. Lily here has decided that we're going to forgive you!" he said with false cheeriness and the others laughed.

Sirius gave his barklike laugh and pulled the other Marauders close under his arms, "Marauders forever?"

The other three laughed, Peter giggling nervously.

"Marauders forever!"

"Hey, we're leaving out Ev -- I mean, Lil," said James, pulling his girlfriend close.

"Yeah," said Sirius slyly, "she's starting to get up to no good."

"I know -- Can you believe it?" Remus added, smiling at Lily. "She's stolen, lied, and sneaked out of the castle for us!"

Lily grinned at James, "I guess you four knuckleheads finally wore off on me."

"Who are you calling a knucklehead?" Sirius said playfully. "Do you really think I believed that note you sent?"

The other four looked at him and said in unison, "Yes!"

"No, I didn't!" Sirius argued as they made their way back into the castle. "I knew perfectly well what Lily was up to!"

Remus rolled his eyes and smiled, "Just like you knew all about the goblin wars, and yet you somehow managed to nick my notes just before the test . . ."

"Still blaming me for that, Moony? I didn't nick them, you misplaced them!" Sirius cried.

"And what about the time in first year when he said he knew how we were sorted?" added Peter, snickering. "What did he say it was again?"

"He said we had to capture a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest and return with its head," said Remus lazily, smirking at Sirius.

Peter snickered with glee.

Sirius snorted, "I didn't really believe that! I was trying to trick you!"

"Right . . ." said Remus, shaking his head. "Just like the time you claimed you could make pickle juice into frog spawn -- remember that? I've never seen old Horace angry in my life -- but when you made that mess in the dungeons . . ."

Peter shrieked with laughter.

"Oh, shut up, Wormtail, as if you never made a mistake in first year," Sirius said grumpily.

And the three of them bickered, laughed, and teased each other all the way to Gryffindor tower while James and Lily followed behind, lost in each other and apparently unaware of the friendly arguing.


	5. Peter's Villainus Plan

Chapter 5

Peter tried to steal the map back from the caretaker's office. Twice, he had bungled it. It was his intention to get the map back in the hands of a Death Eater. Wouldn't the Dark Lord be pleased when he handed over the map?

Remus, under the impression that Peter's intentions had been good, patted him on the back in the boys' dormitories after dinner, "Relax, Peter. The map is safest at Hogwarts. There's really no reason to steal it back -- is there, Padfoot?" he added suspiciously to Sirius, who was looking mischievous.

Sirius attempted to look innocent, "What, Moony? Oh! Oh yeah, yeah, why steal the map?"

"Sirius," began Remus, and he looked just like a professor about to give a student a lecture, "you know as well as I do what Dumbledore said concerning the map -- "

"Ah, lay off him, Moony!" James had entered the dormitories, looking well pleased with himself.

"Would you look at the grin on him!" said Sirius, smirking at James.

"He looks like he just won the Cup five times in a row," Remus said under his breath and turned to his trunk. He was sure he knew why James was smiling and he didn't want to hear it.

"I already have," James said, wagging his eyebrows as he kicked off his shoes. "But that's beside the point."

Remus laughed, trying to appear happy for James. James was his friend, after all. How would it look if he continued to sulk about Lily?

"So what is the point?" Sirius was saying slyly, as if he too had already guessed.

Peter perched on the edge of his bed as if eager to hear about the latest duel between the Quidditch Chaser and his rival, Snivelus, but was crestfallen when James only grinned at his friends and launched into a story about Lily. Lily, Lily, Lily. He rolled his eyes and turned away.

Remus pretended to be packing, also not looking at James. It seemed Sirius was the only one really listening.

James was reclining on his four0poster, his hands behind his head and his back propped up against his pillows as he shared his news.

". . . and she finally agreed to come!" James was saying. "She said she'd come visit me and my mum this summer!"

James paused, waiting for his friends to rejoice with him over his victory. Sirius dutifully shouted, "Alright!" and jumped up to roll through his handshake with James. Peter was ready next with his lame congratulations and Remus forced a grin over his shoulder as he was packing.

"Hail the conquering hero," Sirius continued. "Maybe you could hook Moony up. Does Lily have a sister?"

James rolled his eyes, "A beast that her parents keep, more like. Her name's Petunia, but I call her Dragon breath."

Sirius snickered, "Guess that blind date is out . . ."

"Even so," said Remus wearily, "I don't think I should do much dating . . . I mean, with my -- condition --"

"Oh, come off it, Moony!" James said, and he almost sounded angry. "You use that as an excuse for every girl!"

Remus looked up, "Not every girl."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the Marauders stared at one another.

"What I meant was," continued James impatiently through his teeth, "you always use it as an excuse so you don't have to face rejection."

"Yeah, listen to him. He knows all about rejection!" joked Sirius and was hit with a pillow that James sent at him across the room.

"All you guys ever talk about is girls!" moaned Peter suddenly in disgust. "Girls, girls, girls! There are more important things!"

"Like what?" asked Sirius, smirking. "The number of your mother's bowel movements in the last six days doesn't count, Wormtail."

Remus laughed as Peter went red.

"Like -- like --" sputtered the tubby boy, his fists clenched. He would get Sirius one day, mark his words.

"Like Death Eaters?" Everyone looked at James. His large, brown eyes were narrowed behind his glasses.

Peter was unnerved, "I -- n-no . . ."

"Then what?" said James, half-rising from his pillows. Unlike Lily, he still had his doubts about whose side Peter was on.

Peter gave an involuntary squeak of fright under James's menacing gaze.

"Careful there, Prongs, ol' Wormtail might pee his pants," snickered Sirius.

Remus shot Sirius a reproachful look. "Come on, James. I thought we agreed that it was over? Peter is sorry. He's not helping the -- "He lowered his voice, "He's not helping the Death Eaters anymore -- are you?"

Peter's beady eyes flashed back and forth between James and Remus, "Of-of course not, James, I --I mean, that is, now that -- thanks to you -- the caretaker is gone --"

"Oh, stop your babbling," Sirius said, annoyed, and Peter gave a frightened squeak and shut his mouth.

"I've never known him to speak in complete sentences," Sirius grumbled as Remus laughed. "Anyway . . . so Wormtail is fixated with his mother, Prongs has got ol' Evans, and me . . ." Sirius cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"You've got Anita," interjected James, laughing at his friend's sudden squirming.

"Yeah, so what about it, Moony?" Sirius looked at Remus. "I mean, Prongs is right. There are plenty of girls who'd date you and keeping the old -- illness -- under wraps while we're at school shouldn't be hard."

Remus shook his head and sat on the edge of his bed. "You guys just don't understand . . ." he muttered miserably. "Having -- well --" His eyes shot carefully at the door.

"A furry little problem?" prompted James.

Remus laughed, "Yeah. It's not like being an Animagi. You guys can control yourselves; you're not in danger of hurting anyone. If I -- well, if I fell in love -- I couldn't bare it if . . ."

"Isn't love worth that, though?" burst James, and everyone turned to this new and mature disposition in their friend with raised eyebrows.

Sirius backed toward his bed, "Who are you and what have you done with my best mate?"

James ignored him, "Come on, guys, we're in Gryffindor for a reason, aren't we? We care about -- about bravery!" He waved his hands. "And if a girl really loves you, Moony, she won't care!"

Sirius covered his ears, "What is this, a talk show? I'm going out before the two of you need tissues."

"And where are you going?" James demanded, surprised and little disgruntled. He wanted Sirius to stick around and listen to him ramble about Lily.

Sirius smoothed his hair, "I'll tell you when you're older, my friend."

"It's Anita," snickered Peter, watching Sirius from over the top of his trunk as he pulled out his pajamas.

Sirius scowled at him.

"Happy snogging," Remus said in an attempt to be lighthearted, but his voice sounded utterly miserable.

Sirius laughed and slapped Remus on the back, "Don't worry, Moony -- your prince will come!"

Remus shoved him playfully away, "Oh, go away!"

"But -- but guys . . ." Peter interrupted timidly and everyone looked around at him. "Since we only have a few nights left here at Hogwarts -- I was --I was thinking we could --"

Sirius grinned, "Go moonlighting! Heck, why not? When was the last time I bit you, Moony, five months ago?"

Remus laughed, "I still feel it every time I sneeze."

James sat up again slowly, "Yeah, yeah, that sounds great! We haven't gone since I -- since Evans and I --"

"Started snogging at every moment possible," finished Remus, grinning almost bitterly. "We know."

James ruffled his hair convulsively.

"So when's the next full moon, Moony?" James asked, still looking uncomfortable as he ruffled his already messy hair.

Everyone looked at Remus, Peter with a wickedly eager look that none of them noted. Remus sighed wearily. He enjoyed having fun with his friends, but he felt so tired, so old. It was like being a werewolf could age him sometimes. He looked up at them out of hollow, tired eyes and smiled, "Don't set any snogging dates for Friday."


	6. The Narrow Escape

Chapter 6

That Friday, the Marauders' last moonlighting expedition was one to remember -- and for reasons entirely unfortunate. As usual, they set out together to the Whomping Willow. Remus went down the passage first, looking anxious and aggravated.

"It's started," Sirius noted under his breath to James as they watched their friend disappear ahead of them, and in a flash, he was the bounding, black dog.

James nodded and likewise transformed. A magnificent stag stood where he had been standing mere seconds before, its head lifted arrogantly and its antlers thrust forth. It eyed the large, black dog regally as it chased its tail. The black dog paused in the middle of nibbling at its backside and gave the stag an innocent look that clearly said "What?" The stag's eyes twinkled with its smile, and the pair of them set off toward the growling beast at the end of the tunnel, a fat rat scurrying in their wake.

Remus had changed more languidly than either of them, and his screams of pain echoed through the tunnel, up the stairs, and shook the Shrieking Shack. As usual, he staggered around in circles, stretched in agony, and tore violently at every piece of already ragged furniture in sight. A moldy chair stood in one corner that he had battered almost to wooden pieces and fluff while a table was upturned with its gnarled legs standing on end.

Remus became a wolf; a tall stooping creature with dripping yellow teeth and red eyes that rolled in its head. He was out of his mind, and out of control, and as soon as he saw his friends, he lunged at them. Peter gave a squeak of fright and scurried under a ripped sofa while James lowered his antlers and Sirius stood his ground. Remus tore into them, his claws swiping, but Sirius swiped back, bit back, and growled while James thrust the wolf back again and again with his antlers.

At last, dog and wolf were left growling into each others' faces. This had become a sort of ritual they underwent every time they met; the wolf snarling and sneering, its furry lip curling over its fangs, and the black dog doing the same, just as loud and just as menacing.

They carried on until the wolf gave away to whimpers of submission and the black dog instantly forgave its insanity by yipping happily and bounding in circles. This was an invitation to play. The wolf happily accepted, and dog and wolf commenced to roll around the Shrieking Shack, locked in a wild wrestling match.

Soon, stag and rat joined in the fray, and the four Marauders ran back up the path of the Shrieking Shack to the Hogwarts grounds. Mist rolled over the miles of green lawn and at the crown of the vast hill the castle stood, a black silhouette against the sky.

The friends rolled and snarled and bounded across the grass, a strange parade in the moonlight. They were following the rat, who always led the way back to the castle. The dog and the stag were so busy controlling their hyper wolf friend that they did not notice where the rat was leading them.

They had come to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a place James had vowed they would never go again after the time they had almost lost Remus into the night. Yet here they stood, on the very edge, and the rat was waiting for them, perched on a tree stump as if he'd forgotten.

The stag stopped in its tracks, startled, and the black dog bounded into it as it frolicked with the wolf. They looked at each other in confusion. The rat gave a questioning squeak. The stag frowned at the rat. He knew the rat was well aware of what they had agreed on. Why then had Peter led them here? The rat only continued to watch them innocently.

Then it happened: Remus broke free and escaped into the forest. Glaring at the fat rat, the stag raced after him with the black dog at his side. Ahead of them they could hear the rustling and panting of the wolf as it tore violently through the undergrowth. It was thundering on, unstoppable, and if they didn't reach it in time there was no telling where it could get to, what villagers in Hogsmeade it might harm.

The stag and the black dog crashed through the trees and halted in a moonlit clearing. Mist rolled across the grass, a deathly chill that stirred them into stomping their paws and hooves. There was no sign of Remus, and no sound either. They looked at each other and it was clear what they would do to Peter when they got back.

Then there was a rustling in the undergrowth to their left, and both stag and dog stood still, listening and watching. Surely, it was only Remus, but no hulking wolf stepped from the trees. It was a man, a man wearing the pale, white mask of a skull. Chilled, the two Marauders stood frozen. They knew what the man was -- he was a Death Eater.

The dog growled low, eyes menacing, and the stag scratched its hooves in the grass, agitated. The Death Eater took a step into the clearing and raised his wand, but the stag reared. With antlers lowered, he charged at the Death Eater and bowled him over. It was only after he had pinned the Death Eater to the ground that he realized his dog-friend was not beside him.

The stag turned. The dog was slumped in the grass and it was twitching convulsively. As the stag watched in horror, another Death Eater stood in the shadows of the trees, torturing the dog with what was clearly an Unforgivable Curse. The black dog gave whimpering, agonized yips as the wand lifted and lowered again and again, until finally, the sweating shaking form of a teenage boy lay in the grass.

Enraged, the stag ran at the second Death Eater but was hit from behind with a leg binding spell. Its long, slender legs locked together, and it crashed to the ground; large, brown eyes rolling in its head. It knew the Death Eaters were approaching, could hear their feet crunch through the grass. In a moment it would be writhing in agony as the Cruciatious curse sent coils of pain blasting under its skin . . . it breathed, shook, waited, its heart beating as the feet approached . . .

The stag knew changing was the only way for him to save his friends. Once it transformed it would be a teenage boy again in wizarding robes and would have access to a wand. In an instant, the stag was a tall seventeen-year-old boy with glasses askew and wild black hair that stood up on end in a mess. He reached at once for his wand and rolled over just as the first Death Eater came at him. He aimed the first curse at the Death Eater he could think of: Snivelus's levitation spell. The Death Eater was hoisted into the air by his ankle with a cry of surprise, but the other gave a scream of terror somewhere above his head.

James sat up. Remus had stalked into the clearing, head low and nostrils flaring as he sniffed. The Death Eater gave another scream of terror and fled, Remus on his heals.

James looked over at Sirius. His friend was curled in a fetal ball, tears leaking down his face as his body continued to shake from the pain that had been inflicted on him. James touched his shoulder, and as if by magic (perhaps) Sirius stopped whimpering. Their eyes met, both enraged and horrified, and James knew they were both thinking of Wormtail.

They got shakily to their feet. They were in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with a werewolf on the loose and two Death Eaters running free (one if Remus caught up with the second one).

"Where are you going?" sputtered the Death Eater who was still hanging in midair. He still had his wand, and aiming it at himself now, he was freed from James's curse. He fell to the ground in a heap as the boys turned, wands raised.

"Looks like we're both going to have to do some serious damage to your friend Peter," the Death Eater snarled behind his mask. "He didn't tell us anything about a werewolf -- just two purebloods who knew about our plans." It was the voice of the old caretaker. He staggered toward them, but Remus appeared over his shoulder as he was moving. He didn't seem to notice. "Ha, that's right, be afraid!" he cried at the looks of horror on their faces.

But James and Sirius weren't afraid of the caretaker; they were afraid of their friend's fury little problem.

"You're going to forget what you know," the caretaker was saying darkly, "or maybe not. I wouldn't know about the Afterlife." He raised his wand.

Behind the caretaker, Remus charged. The man turned only in time to scream as Remus's heavy claw cracked him hard across the face and sent him flying five feet across the clearing and onto his back. He lie motionless. Remus turned to his friends with a snarl, but Sirius grabbed a rock and hurled it at the drooling werewolf as it charged them. James joined in. The werewolf shrank from the blows, turned, and fled into the night.

"Blimey," panted James, "Moony's having a rough night."

"Not as rough as Peter's whenever I find him," growled Sirius, clenching his wand tightly.

"Forget the rat for now; help me get the caretaker up to castle."

They turned to their unconscious ex-caretaker and hefted him between them.

"How are we . . . gonna explain this . . . to Dumbledore?" panted Sirius, his tongue hanging momentarily like a dog's.

James looked up at the castle and saw some of its windows burst into a sudden yellow light.

"I have a feeling he already knows, Padfoot."


	7. Graduation

Chapter 7

The Marauders were not expelled, nor were they subject to a detention or any other form humiliating punishment. True, they had broken several rules, and true, they could be subject to serious head examination if anyone found out they had been frolicking with a werewolf, but James, Sirius, and Peter did not tell Dumbledore they were Animagi, and Dumbledore never alluded once during their explanation to the fact that he knew. After all, Dumbledore was not a stupid man by any means.

The main focus of Dumbledore's concern was the fact that Death Eaters had been lurking on his school grounds. He immediately put into action the placement of extra protection on the school and consulted the Order of Phoenix on the matter.

"You have done marvelously well," Dumbledore told James and Sirius and even Peter, who had plead his helplessness under the Imperious curse and had been forgiven. "You must be tired after the little adventure our ex-caretaker has afforded you, and so you are excused -- and I suggest you go directly to bed." He smiled at them, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles as if he knew already that they were planning to keep Peter up half the night demanding more explanations.

"And Sirius," Dumbledore called.

Sirius paused in the act of following James and Peter out of the door. The three of them looked back.

"I understand that even after Peter's explanation you must be, uh, barking mad at your friend, but do go easy on him."

The look of hot, flushed anger on Sirius's face was replaced by an incredulous awe, and he stammered a response as the three of them shuffled out of the door.

"He knows," Sirius muttered worriedly, "he knows I'm --"

"In need of a flea collar?" suggested James. "Yeah, well, Dumbledore knows everything, doesn't he? But how he can be so trusting --"

They both shot a dark look at Peter.

"L-look, guys, I already told you!" squeaked Peter, tripping over his own pudgy feet as he scurried to keep up with his rapidly walking friends. "It happened when we left the Shrieking Shack. This -- this fuzziness washed over my brain --"

Sirius gave his barklike laugh, "There's always a fuzziness washed over your brain!"

"-- and -- and a voice told me to lead you to the Forbidden Forest! Honestly!" Peter plunged on, ignoring Sirius and appealing to James.

"Oh, yeah?" James said in a low, deadly voice. "And where were you when Padfoot was hit with the Cruciatious cruse!" he shouted. "Where were you when I was knocked on the ground with a body bind and was about to be killed! Where were you --?"

"Now, now, Potter, you wouldn't want to wake the whole castle, now would you?"

The Marauders halted as another teenage boy stepped from the shadows. His pale face glowed in the gloom of the passage between two curtains of greasy, black hair. He stood with his arms folded, one hand on his wand, and an unpleasant smile on his thin lips.

James's lungs swelled with a surge of hatred. "What are you doing out after hours?" he asked roughly.

"You think because you're Dumbledore's favorite boy you can boss me around, Potter? Well, I've got friends in high places too and they're bigger than yours," Severus said smoothly, black eyes glittering in the gloom.

Sirius's hand whipped out his wand, "Get out of the way, Snivelus, or I'll blast you into a thousand pieces."

"Listen to you," sneered Snape, shaking his head. "Keep talking like that and people will think you're . . . a Death Eater . . ." His eyes lingered on Peter, who whimpered and shrank behind his friends. "Had a good time in the forest, Black? We could hear your whimpers as you were cursed black and blue up at the castle."

James raised his wand, "I'm Headboy, which means --"

"That's right, Potter! You're only a boy -- a silly, arrogant boy with a stick and a head so big it's a wonder you can get off the ground at those quidditch matches. After all, dating a mudblood should drag anyone down . . ."

Sirius and James yelled a curse at the same time and the passage exploded with red smoke. However, when the smoke cleared, Snape was gone. They stared in astonishment and whirled around when he began to speak behind them.

"How'd he do that?" Sirius demanded tensely. "No one can apparate inside of Hogwarts --"

"I didn't apparate, you dolt, open a book sometime," Snape rolled his eyes. "With that sort of aptitude you'll be lucky if you make it to your eighteenth birthday. Oh, what's the matter, Black? Were you planning a nice, long life or is it the fact that your tiny, little brain can't count?" He smirked at them, at their tense, angry faces, and at James's apparent struggle not to curse Snape black and blue after he had promised Lily so many times that he wouldn't.

"You'd be surprised at how many other students in the school can do what I just did . . ." he looked at Peter again and opened his mouth.

Both James and Sirius raised their wands simultaneously, but it was Peter, to their surprise, who shouted the curse that sent Snape crashing into the wall. James and Sirius stared at him.

"He was there . . ." Peter panted. "Severus -- I remember now! He was one of the Death Eaters! He knew about the Whomping Willow! He -- he waited outside and cursed me . . ."

They looked at Snape, who was slumped against the wall, blood trickling from his hairline, and remembered the time Sirius had tricked him into coming to the Shrieking Shack.

James gave a low whistle, "Alright, Wormtail!"

The end of the term feast was a sad affair for the Marauders, who dearly regretted leaving their beloved Hogwarts. Remus did not show up until almost the very end of the feast and whispered to his friends that he'd gotten lost in the Forbidden Forest and had only returned to the castle when Hagrid found him and carried him back. The graduating seventh-years were toasted by Dumbledore, who had an unmistakable smile for his Marauders that Snape noted with contempt.

"To the end of another year and the beginning of a new generation in the magical work force," Dumbledore had said, lifting his glass to the seventh-years. The hall followed suit and the plates were cleared as everyone, sleepy and sluggish from their heavy suppers, moved to get ready for the evening departure.

James felt that, in his grief and secret despair, leaving Dumbledore was like leaving a sort of father figure he would miss dearly once he and his friends had left Hogwarts for good. So that evening while everyone prepared for the yearly departure from Hogwarts, James made his way to the headmaster's office.

"Buttery BizzBees," he said to the stone gargoyle, which leapt aside and continued to stare with a frown at the opposite wall, revealing a revolving silver staircase.

James stepped onto the staircase and was carried smoothly to Dumbledore's office door. His fist was raised to knock when he heard voices on the other side and paused. He knew it was nosy to eavesdrop, that if he was caught it could only lead to an embarrassing conversation with the headmaster and whoever he was now speaking to, but the low voices and quick whispers were deliciously exciting to his curiosity.

". . . Order of the phoenix . . ." squeaked an old man's voice excitedly, "and we've already got at least fifteen signed on with us! Fifteen! How are we going to fight You--Know--Who with only fifteen willing to fight!"

A gasp of excitement caught in James's throat. They were talking about a secret group, a secret group that would fight Voldemort. How many times had he lain awake, furious, terrified into fierce anger by the tragedies he'd read in the paper every day? How many times had he longed to be able to protect his loved ones from Voldemort? To do something that would lend a hand in the fight?

"When good is the intent, it matters very little how many are willing to fight, Dedalus," Dumbledore was saying calmly. "And now, let us say no more. I fear a certain student I am very fond of is listening on the other side of the door and will not benefit from anything we say here."

James went rigid as the door opened. Dedalus nervously bowed him inside, stepped into Dumbledore's fire, and was gone with a whirl of his cloak. Dumbledore smiled at James, who hovered with much embarrassment in the doorway, and gestured for him to sit.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," began James uncertainly, "I didn't mean --"

Dumbledore smiled patiently, "I know, James. You just have a knack for hearing things that you shouldn't, and if I were a much sterner headmaster, as dear Professor McGonagall will insist on telling me, I would say you have a certain knack for trouble as well. But you are not in trouble -- please." He gestured to the chair again.

Relieved, James sat down.

"Headmaster, I know you've got a secret organization against Voldemort, and now that I'm of age, I'm willing to join."

James knew what Dumbledore would say. He was too young. Dumbledore did not want to see someone so very young become the next victim. But wasn't he already a victim? Wasn't he living in constant fear under Voldemort's cruel reign? Didn't he go to bed every night and beg everything good that Voldemort would spare his mother?

Dumbledore smiled as if he'd read the stubborn thoughts in James's mind, "Of course you may join. Though I must admit I would regret very deeply the loss of anyone so young. Without youth there is no tomorrow." He touched his long fingers together at the tips.

"But sometimes, don't things have to die to make room for new life?" James responded and he thought Dumbledore could not have looked more proud.

"Yes, James, they do."

James squirmed uncomfortably. If only his father was here to look at him that way!

"I want you to know," began Dumbledore, smiling kindly, "that even though today is the end of your Hogwarts education, it is not, however, the end of our friendship. I will do my best to spare an ear whenever you need to confide in me. Is that clear?"

James smiled and struggled to clear his throat. He didn't think he could speak. Of course, he would always confide in Dumbledore. His father would approve of it mightily, was probably nodding his thanks to Dumbledore even now.

James wanted to ask a question, but he wasn't sure if the level of their friendship would permit it. He took a deep breath and when he looked up, Dumbledore appeared to know what he would ask. The old wizard's eyes were shinning wetly.

"Oh, yes, the rumors are true. I had a son once, and he died quite young. I would not see the same happen to you."

They stared at each other, Dumbledore with serious affection and James in quiet astonishment.

Dumbledore leaned back in his high-back chair and appeared momentarily weary, "I will be in contact with you shortly concerning the Order, James, and I ask that you confide in only a select few about your decision to join. I imagine I do not have to tell you how very secret this organization must remain."

James nodded, still finding it difficult to talk, and taking Dumbledore's silence as his exit, he rose and went to the door.

"And, James?" Dumbledore called just before he left, as was his custom whenever their little talks were over. James looked back, shocked to see the worry lining the old man's face. He was looking straight at James and his mouth was a grim and earnest line, "Take care."

"Where have you been?" Sirius asked miserably once James had boarded the train. He was slouched in their compartment looking sulky and utterly dejected as he stared out of the window.

They had not even left and Sirius was already missing Hogwarts. James understood. Sirius did not want to have to return home, collect his stuff, and face his parents when he told them he was moving in with the Potters for a while. His mother would scoff and bid him gladly to leave and his father would firmly ignore him as he read the papers with hard eyes. His son was, after all, associating with "blood traitors." Hogwarts was, in a way, Sirius's home. It had been his home since he'd first arrived with James, who he had made friends with on the train.

"We thought you were with Lily, but she's been looking for you too," Remus said from behind an issue of the Daily Prophet. He was seated beside Sirius and Peter was eating chocolate across from them.

James sat down. "Neh, I was talking to Dumbledore . . . listen . . ." and he closed their compartment door and told his friends about the Order of the Phoenix. When he was done, everyone merely stared and Peter began to choke on a chocolate frog.

"Wish you'd put my name down," Sirius said. Leaning over, he slapped Peter on the back so hard the glob of chocolate flew from his mouth and smeared on the window pane in a dribbling blob. Sirius gave a bitter, barking laugh, "That would make my father's head spin, me fighting his Dark Creep."

"The Order of the Phoenix . . ." Remus said curiously. He had lowered his paper half a fraction.

"How about it, Moony?" Sirius said, grinning at his friend. "I'm signing up as soon I can. Just let my father try and stop me . . ."

"We can all sign up this summer when you come to Godric's Hollow," James told them. "We can tell Lily about it. She'll want to join at once."

"Anything for her hubby," joked Sirius, making kissy faces at an invisible Lily, and James threw a chocolate frog card at him.

"But, guys, don't you think we're too young?" squeaked Peter, who looked curiously agitated. He had failed. He was supposed to get his friends killed, not allow them to join the enemy's army.

"Too young?" scoffed Sirius. "To take action? To fight back?" He scowled at Peter, "Wormtail, just why you were in Gryffindor I'll never figure out. I mean, rats aren't very brave, are they?"

Peter accidentally swallowed a chocolate frog wrapper and said nothing.

James leaned forward and looked at his friends seriously. "Are you in or out?" he asked, brown eyes shifting from face to face. He offered his hand and it only hovered for an instant before Sirius placed his own on top of it.

They looked at Remus, who was staring at his friends' hands as if they were going to seal his doom.

"Well?" James asked quietly.

Remus sighed as if they were in school again and his friends were planning another scheme that he was reluctantly being dragged into. "Alright, alright," he said, slapping his hand on top of Sirius's.

They all looked at Peter, who was nibbling his chocolate and looking very sick and pale. He gulped as they stared and finally added his pudgy hand to the pile.

"Alright!" laughed Sirius. "Marauders forever!"

"Marauders forever!" chorused the others, grinning.

"I'd conjure a few butterbeers, but I didn't get a passing grade in conjuring this year," said Sirius.

Remus smirked, "It's not because you couldn't do it, it was because you were too busy staring at Anita."

"Oh . . . yeah . . ." and Sirius gazed off dreamily for a full minute before his friends pelted him with chocolate frog cards.

As they pulled out of Hogsmeade, mist fogged the train windows and rain lashed at their panes. For the first time, the Marauders took their train ride in silence.

Sirius was just too miserable to make himself the center of attention. They would be at the station in a few hours time and there would be Kreacher, waiting with a sour smile to take his bags. His own parents would not meet him at the station, and he preferred it that way. Yet even though he feigned indifference to their absolute refusal to love him, it hurt him very much, more than they knew.

It was not an unusual thing for Remus to be quiet on the train ride home, but the private misery he knew was new and quite evident every time he lowered his newspaper. Remus knew, had known for years, that once he left Hogwarts his life as a pauper would begin. Who would ever hire a werewolf? He knew his fate long before his friends ever realized, and the fact that there would be no more moonlighting, no more talking late into the night as they lay in bed, no more pranks and pajama parties, was more crushing to him than any of them could guess. At Hogwarts, he had made the Marauders into close and personal friends and knew he would find none like them in the world of ignorance and intolerance that awaited him.

Peter would be going home to his mother, and had no worries save for one: that his mother ever found out he was a Death Eater. He couldn't bear it, to break her heart with such a revelation. But Voldemort had promised to spare her if he joined, there was protection with Voldemort, there was security. Be on the Dark Lord's right hand and not in his path, was Wormtail's motto. But what would his master do to him when he discovered he had messed up again? James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily knew about the caretaker and yet they were still alive! He shuddered to think what would happen to him and was secretly relieved that he had not yet been branded with the Dark Mark.

If James refrained from attacking Snivelus, playing pranks, and altogether being the center of attention while Lily in the background shook her head, it was because he was too anxious about his mother. All year she had been failing badly. What if she were to die? What if she was dead already and he didn't know about it? He looked at his friends and was secretly grateful to them for promising to come see him this summer. Sirius's presence would cheer his mother greatly. She had always been fond of Sirius to the point of slight irritation from her husband whenever she pinched the young man's cheeks and told him he was getting more handsome every year. She loved to have Peter because he loved to eat and would eat anything she set before him. It was healthy, she said, that a boy have such an appetite and she would pat Peter's head. Remus was always, as a result of his "condition," very skinny, and James's mother loved to make a fuss over him.

James ached to know that his mother was well, yet deep down inside he knew with a secret pang in his chest that the end was near. He had dreaded this the better part of the year and had seriously considered dropping from school to come see his mother. But each time he had such thoughts, a letter from his mother would arrive as if the old woman had read his mind, begging him to remain in school, assuring him that she was fine.

"Rubbish," James had muttered, "She's not fine! She's practically blind! What do I need school for when she's dying?"

And Sirius would clap his shoulder to calm him.

Another four hours, five, and the train pulled to a stop. They were at the station. The rain had let up, and the sun was streaking through the rain dappled windows of the train.

"Sirius!" roared a teenage boy with raven black hair and a square handsome face. He was like a younger version of Sirius as he pushed through the chattering teenagers on the train. "Sirius! Kreacher is here! Sirius!"

Sirius's head poked from one of the compartment doors and his clothes and hair were oddly ruffled, "Wait a minute -- I'm -- I'm saying good-bye to someone!"

"You're snogging!" the boy yelled accusingly.

"Beat it, Regulus!"

"Dogbreath!"

"Twerp!"

The brothers stuck their tongues out at each other and Sirius's head disappeared into the compartment again.


	8. Siriusly Rejected

Chapter 8

For Sirius, entering Number 12 Grimmauld Place was like entering a world in which he did not exist. The house was noisy by the time he and his brother reached it late at night with Kreacher.

Regulus had insisted that Sirius take the underground with them because he was almost certain there would be Death Eaters on the train. Though the two brothers seemed to wholly despise one another, they loved and needed each other too, and Regulus was mortally frightened to have to walk anywhere with only Kreacher as a protector.

"See, you little bowltruckle, no Death Eaters," grumbled Sirius as they approached the house. "The only suspicious character was Kreacher."

Kreacher ignored him. "Master and Mistress have thrown a party for young master," he said to Regulus as he purposely dropped Sirius's trunk in the mud and hefted Regulus's trunk higher up the front steps. "Master and Mistress hate and despise the other boy, who disgraces the family by getting placed in Gryffindor and running around with blood traitors," Kreacher added furiously under his breath.

"What was that, Kreacher?" Sirius asked loudly.

"Kreacher has a cold, young master," Kreacher replied and then muttered furiously, "Kreacher does not have a cold, he does not, Kreacher only hates and despises his blood traitor master, as the blood traitor's parents do . . ."

Sirius hefted his heavy trunk up the stairs after Kreacher and his brother and let out a furious stream of curses when it slipped and fell on his foot. While he panted at the bottom of the steps outside, Regulus and Kreacher entered the open front doors from which yellow light streamed. Sirius could hear his aunts and uncles and cousins greeting and congratulating Regulus, could hear the band playing that had been brought especially for his brother, could hear the glasses clinking and smell the food.

Just as he was reaching the top of the steps, the doors were thrown closed on his face and the noises of the party muffled. Furious, Sirius dropped his trunk.

"Kreacher!" he roared.

The door creaked open and the little house elf bowed nastily, "Kreacher did not see young master." Then he muttered furiously, "Kreacher saw him, he did, Kreacher saw the filthy little blood traitor struggling up the stairs, but Kreacher ignored him as his parents does, Kreacher despises him --"

"Just get out of my way!" Sirius roared.

Kreacher disappeared with a pop, and Sirius entered the warm crowded atmosphere of Number 12 Grimmauld Place with a distinct sense of loathing. No one greeted him. It seemed his parents had told everyone about him, and if they hadn't, Narcissa and Bellatrix had. He saw the sisters now, one brunette and one fair, both looking very pretty in their wizarding robes beside the punch bowl. Without a sniveling younger brother, they had been able to apparate to the house for the party.

Sirius shuffled past them to the stairs, dragging his muddy trunk and leaving a trail of mud behind him as he struggled. Everyone ignored him, only sending him looks of disdain or whispering and giggling at him behind his back while at a grand table his younger brother was cutting a cake to delighted laughter and applause.

Precious, perfect Regulus. His brother was a Slytherin, his brother was a muggle hater, his brother, his brother, his brother! He saw his mother out of the corner of his eye as she stood beside Regulus, her cheek pressed to his and smiling. His father was giving a speech on Regulus's owls. Wasn't his son the smartest pureblood of them all?

Sirius rolled his eyes in disgust and ignored Bellatrix when she snickered and pointed at his struggling. He went up the stairs as fast as he could, the better to escape the repulsive atmosphere of the party below, his trunk bumping loudly on each step.

Sirius's room in the house was sorely neglected. While the rest of the house was sparkling and dusted, neat and clean, his own room was layered in dust, his bed sheets had not been washed, his window left open so that a cold draft had blown in and scattered his belongings. He was certain that when it had snowed Kreacher had not bothered to close his window for him. He growled an angry curse, wondered bitterly at his surprise, and began to pack everything that he could; throwing his possessions into his trunk so viciously some of them broke.

He remembered that he was of age and could use magic at home only when he'd already packed nearly all of his belongings. He'd been so angry he'd forgotten, and with a bitter laugh he waved his wand. At once, his possessions soared across the room and crashed into the trunk. Sirius winced and quickly lowered his wand. He'd sent the spell too hard.

He dreaded having to go back among the atmosphere of the party, but it was better that he let everyone see him walking out of the door. He wanted to make it clear that he was leaving, and his very empty bedroom two floors above made it very clear he wasn't coming back.

The band had picked up again, and Sirius glimpsed his mother dancing with an uncle and Bellatrix dancing with a man she'd brought with her, her husband. It was about time, Sirius thought, marking Bellatrix's years. It seemed she and Lestrange had been engaged for centuries.

With his trunk floating along behind him, Sirius shot one last contemptuous glance at his family and was turning to the door again with a sneer when he heard his brother's voice.

"Wait!"

Sirius turned. Regulus had broken from the party and was hurrying toward him. His face was twisted and confused, but Regulus wasn't a complete idiot. He knew better than Sirius that his brother was not wanted in the house, but he asked anyway:

"Where are you going?" It was clear Regulus wanted his brother near as he reached out for Sirius's sleeve. "You're always leaving, every summer. And at school we're in different houses. It's like I never see you anymore!" His brows knit.

Sirius shook his brother's fingers off, "Oh, come off it, Reg. You know you like being the center of attention."

Regulus smiled sadly and shook his head, "Not without you."

"What, so you can feel even more favored?" Sirius snapped, but the brothers exchanged smiles.

Sirius felt the sudden need to protect his younger brother, but he couldn't stay in Grimmauld Place, not for another second. The music had stopped and everyone was watching the scene with the clearest contempt. It disgusted them that Regulus cared about Sirius.

"Look," Sirius said in a low voice, "you don't need me anymore. Maybe I'll see you around when you're older, alright? But as long as you live in this house with --" He shot their father a look of disdain, who was standing near the band with a glass in his hand and the stoniest look on his face. "I'll write you letters, whatever you want, Reg. Just don't ask me to stay here."

Regulus nodded sadly and hung his head. Sirius turned, but he had the strangest feeling. It was like a sudden intuition was telling him to warn his brother. He knew what pureblood freaks his parents were, knew how eager Regulus was to please them. Therefore, it would not be altogether surprising if Regulus later came into some trouble.

Sirius turned to his brother again and said in the same low whisper as everyone watched, "Hey, I know how you feel about pleasing them, but don't let them talk you into anything -- stupid." He ruffled his brother's hair fondly, "Later, twerp."

Regulus nodded sadly again and Sirius turned.

"Sirius?"

Sirius looked back as he was opening the door, "Yeah?"

"Will you ever come back?"

There was a pause as Sirius gazed with contempt around the room and was met with the haughtily disdainful eyes of his family.

He smiled sadly at Regulus, "No, Reg, I'm not coming back."


	9. Godrics's Hollow

Chapter 9

Sirius did not go straight to Godric's Hollow. He knew that Remus was having a wolf attack and Apparated on his friend's street. Remus lived, like most wizards today, in a middleclass muggle neighborhood. After other brief summer visits Sirius found his friend's house effortlessly. It was a modest little one floor house that he secretly adored with its flowers and crisply cut lawn. Remus claimed to have lived near a wood once, but his family had moved for obvious reasons.

Sirius went around the back of the house, his trunk floating along. He would not, like anyone else, knock on the door or greet Remus's parents and non-magic sister, who he knew was visiting in the house with her three children because a car was parked outside. Instead, he went around to the large backyard where he knew there was a well-boarded shed and sure enough, could hear his friend's snarls and shrieks from within. It was no wonder that the neighbors did not call their muggle police, because a charm had been put on the walls of the shack. Sirius was hearing the noise now only because he had morphed into a dog. Leaving his trunk, he crept toward the tightly nailed shack and began to dig . . .

Early the next morning, a shapely woman in an apron with graying auburn hair approached the shack with a hammer raised high and began to pry at its nails. Soon, the door fell away, its nails shining in the grass, and the sun streamed in on the most peaceful sight:

A teenage boy and a large, black dog lie curled in the hay, sleeping serenely. The boy was lying on his side, but rested one hand on the dog's head, and the dog, its chin relaxed on its folded paws, snored on.

The woman smiled and placed her hands on her hips.

"Sirius!" she scolded as the dog's eyes came open.

Remus's mother was the only person besides the Marauders, Dumbledore, and Lily Evans who knew that Sirius was an Animagi. There was one summer night when Sirius had run away from home and she had seen him slip into the shadows of her yard as a teenage boy only to reemerge seconds later as a dog. Sirius had later confessed, and Remus's mother had vowed to take his secret to the grave.

If Sirius's visits made her son happy then it was alright with her. She made sure, however, to scold them constantly about being careful. So far, they had not failed her.

In an instant, Sirius was the roguishly handsome teenage boy again and he sat up as he grinned at Mrs. Lupin.

"Pancakes?" he asked, making Remus chuckle.

"Pancakes," Mrs. Lupin confirmed cheerfully.

At Godric's Hollow, pancakes were not the only things on the menu. Even on her sickbed, James's mother was an excellent cook. Soon, the large dinning room table was filled with dozens of plates, and Lily was so stuffed, she politely refused thirds again and again as she watched James gorge himself with a mixture of fascination and disgust. She wondered secretly whether the Potters owned house elves.

"Relax, Mum, please!" James cried with exasperation. He caught the arm of his mother's wheelchair as she was hurrying past with yet another tray of food. "It's just the three of us, not a hungry mob!"

Mrs. Potter laughed. She had a lovely heart-shaped face and round, almond eyes mirrored in her son's face. "You can never have too much food prepared," she said cheerfully.

Lily found herself secretly disagreeing. She'd had three plates and each time she'd only eaten a fourth of her meal before another plate was pushed on her. There was simply too much food! Were they expecting Peter, Remus, and Sirius already? She gave James an inquisitive look.

"One day, young lady, I'll leave my recipes to you," Mrs. Potter was saying to Lily. She reached up as she rolled over and squeezed Lily's arm.

Lily was a little embarrassed. Mrs. Potter talked as if she and James were getting married the following Monday. She couldn't blame the old woman, who was getting along in years and probably just wanted to live to see her son's wedding.

"Mum," James said wearily, "please relax?" He got up and wheeled his mother against the table, who scoffed at him but obliged.

Remus and Sirius arrived together. James seemed particularly eager to talk to Sirius about something, which Remus seemed to accept naturally. After all, Sirius was James's best friend. They had even been friends together before they were friends with him, and so Remus was left alone with Lily while James took Sirius out round the property to the shed.

"What do you suppose he's up to?" Lily said curiously, watching her boyfriend and his best friend disappear into the gloom of the shed across the vast lawn. "I don't think it has anything to do with quidditch, for once."

Remus shrugged. Alone in Lily's presence, he found himself unable to care. He gestured to Lily and said, "Come on, I'll show you around."

Godric's Hollow was immense in its number of rooms. It was the typical old pureblood mansion. If it had been James or Sirius showing her about, Lily knew they would have done it with an uninterested air, but Remus, who had a certain reverence for large old houses; smiled at this relic here, complemented this picture there. They came to something interesting and Lily was excited at once.

Godric's Hollow had a pool! James hadn't told her there was a pool! Remus laughed and related to her all the fun times they'd had there. They'd once turned Wormtail into a beach ball and tossed him around. But those were the old reckless days, when James had been so arrogant, he didn't care about performing magic underage and Sirius had been right along with him.

"Bet you didn't join in," Lily said wisely.

They had taken off their socks and were sitting on the edge of the pool with their feet in the water. Remus was feeling very uncomfortable. Lily suddenly looked prettier to him than ever: her smile, her eyes, the way she nudged him with her shoulder. It seemed impossible to him that he had dated her only the year before and that they had broken up.

"No, no, I was never much for breaking rules . . ."

"Do you remember . . ." said Lily slowly, "the time you thought you'd never fall in love? Remember that?"

"Yeah . . . yeah . . . I thought no one could ever love me because I'm, well --"

"Wolfishly impaired?"

Remus laughed, "Yeah . . ."

He'd never heard it put that way before and was reminded suddenly of all James's different code names for his condition. James! James would never like the look of it if he was discovered sitting here with Lily, talking so intimately, and while Lily was very innocent in her reminisces, completely unaware of her charms, he knew what James would make of it if he saw. But hadn't James left them alone together in the first place?

Lily was staring dreamily at the large glass doors opposite. Through them one could see the vast garden with its stone walls and curling vine and beyond the towering evergreens where the garden opened unto a fountain.

"Lily, I think we should, um --"

"Remus, do you think you'll ever fall in love?"

How could he answer that? He had already fallen in love with someone. He was looking right at her! He only managed to stammer and wipe at his eyes repeatedly. If he didn't get away from Lily, he'd go mad and kiss her!

Lily frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Remus lied. "Go on."

"Well, do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Ever think you'll fall in love!"

Remus sighed. He wanted to suggest a game of chess or Exploding Snap, anything that would take his mind off of what he'd lost. He was happy for James, and he wanted to keep that feeling. He didn't want another fight, he didn't want --

"Well, I know you will. You're very special, Remus," Lily continued and there was an uncomfortable pause. She looked at Remus slyly, "Can you keep a secret, Remus?"

Remus nodded miserably. He knew already what she'd say, even before she leaned toward him and made his heart beat faster with the flowery scent of her hair.

"I'm in love with James!" she squeaked. She smiled at him happily, not seeing his miserable expression, only her feelings. "I never thought it could happen! But . . ." She closed her eyes.

Out of nerves and his own misery, Remus stood up and announced that he didn't feel well and that he should go lie down, but he stood up too quickly, and as Lily rose with him, he lost balance and they caught each other by the arms. They could have saved themselves from falling into the pool entirely, but a moment later, there was a crash, and a flying motorcycle burst through the tall glass doors and forced them to topple, screaming, into the pool in each others' arms. The motorcycle soared on, leaving a trail of tinkling glass and exhaust smoke in its wake. Remus and Lily emerged, shivering in each others' arms and spitting water.

"Sorry!" cried Sirius, jogging up to the pool. "Forgot to yell fore!"

James was glowering beside Sirius in an instant.

"Don't start acting like a jealous moron, you're only making a fool of yourself!" Lily snapped ten minutes later as she marched rapidly through the maze of the garden.

"You're not his girlfriend anymore!" James roared, following.

Lily cast him a contemptuous look, "I'm well aware of who -- and what -- I'm dating!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

Lily stopped and whirled around so suddenly, James nearly trod on her feet.

"It means you're a jealous creep!"

"I'm not jealous -- I'm scared!"

Lily lifted an eyebrow.

James sighed, "It's because . . ." His face twisted up as if it pained him to admit it, "I love you, Lil."

Lily smiled.

"So what really happened?" Sirius asked.

He and Remus were standing on the lawn where they'd finally reigned in the motorcycle, which seemed to have a mind of its own. At present it was tethered to one of the largest trees on the property and purring quite dismally.

Remus sighed as Sirius stroked the motorcycle, which shivered under his hand like a delighted kitten. "You first."

"Remember that muggle shop James and I broke into in second year?" said Sirius proudly

Remus rolled his eyes, remembering the stupid dare with Wormtail. They'd broken into the muggle shop during the summer only because Wormtail had claimed muggles had alarm systems that were better than magic. James and Sirius had been horrified and had set out to prove Wormtail wrong.

"How could I forget," Remus answered, smiling.

"We took some parts and we've been working on this ever since," Sirius patted the purring motorcycle. "We finally got the flying charm right."

"Muggle mechanics, the pair of you," muttered Remus fondly.

Sirius folded his arms, "So what really happened, Moony? I know Prongs is just being stupid, but you guys looked awful comfortable before the motorcycle busted you."

Remus squinted, "What?"

"James and I saw you," Sirius said, tossing his hands. "That's why the bike went wild. We were riving it up, rolling it across the lawn, and we saw the two of you standing and holding each other. James got angry, let go of the bike, and . . ." He made a flying motion with his hand.

"And we were knocked screaming into the water," Remus finished. "But we weren't doing anything!" he burst, suddenly angry. "This whole thing is ridiculous! I mean, why would Lily want me when she could have . . ." He gestured lamely in the direction of the garden were James and Lily were sure to be snogging.

"Don't sell yourself short, Moony. We've said again and again that you could date anyone you wanted. How else could you have gotten Lily?"

They smiled at each other.

"Thanks, Padfoot."

"No problem. Like I said before, you're prince will come -- princess! I meant princess!" Sirius cried as Remus whipped out his wand, and the two of them dodged across the lawn, pelting charms and silly hexes at each other.

Lunch rolled around, and brought not only sandwiches and a fidgeting Peter, but Dumbledore as well. This was a great surprise, seeing as Dumbledore was eternally a very busy man. He dropped in in his velvet traveling cloak, his pointed wizard's hat swept from his head the moment he encountered Mrs. Potter.

"Dumbledore, you old charmer," Mrs. Potter was saying slyly. "See?" she hissed at James, "I told you that one can never prepare enough food!" She squinted at Dumbledore as if she was trying to look at the sun, a pleasant smile making her face radiate, "Please, my dear, come in! Come in! Oh, Dumbledore, you get younger everyday!"

Dumbledore smiled, amused at the flattery and the teenagers' apparent shock.

"Amy, Amy, you flatter me," Dumbledore said, and tickled Mrs. Potter's hand with his mustache as he kissed it.

Lunch was a very pleasant affair with Dumbledore. The headmaster took great joy in delighting his hostess with traveling stories and old reminisces of James and his friends in school. Yet he never once alluded to the real reason of his visit, merely convincing Mrs. Potter that he had dropped in on his way to visit a friend. The Marauders, however, knew that Dumbledore's visit was no pleasure trip.

Dumbledore needed an excuse to speak with the Marauders alone, and so he quite craftily suggested in an offhand way to Lily that she should take specific interest in Mrs. Potter's apple pie. Of course, Lily picked up on the hint at once and soon she and Mrs. Potter were chatting away as Dumbledore and the Marauders slipped out.

"Professor?" asked James, jogging to keep up with Dumbledore's long strides.

The old wizard seemed particularly fixated on speaking to the Marauders as far away from the house as possible. He led them into the maze of the garden where he stopped so suddenly near the fountain, Sirius almost walked into him.

The Marauders stared incredulously as Dumbledore merely leaned forward and dipped his face in the water. "Ahh," he said, straightening up and dabbing his face with a kerchief. "Forgive me, the days get so hot."

The Marauders exchanged repressed smiles.

"Ah, my Marauders!" cried Dumbledore, as if he indeed had had a look at the map and knew his ex-students' secret names for themselves. "I can not tell you how very proud I am that you have expressed an interest in joining the Order of Phoenix! It is a dangerous path indeed, full of uncertainty and as you can well imagine, extreme risk. Given the fact that each of you are now of age, I can not stop you from joining. However, it would be irresponsible for me to let you join without the reminder -- becoming a member of the Order can mean grave danger, much more than you are in now. For being in the Order almost exclusively puts you on Voldemort's list."

Peter gave an involuntary squeak.

"Now," said Dumbledore, drawing himself up. "With that said, I must have legitimate reasons from each of you for joining." He smiled at James over his half-moon spectacles.

"I want to help stop Voldemort," James began firmly. "I want to help make it so that people no longer have to live in fear. I want to feel safe again -- and I want that for everyone else!"

"Hear, hear!" grinned Sirius, thumping James' back. "I have to be honest, Headmaster, I don't give a flying fizzbee what happens to my Mum and Dad. I know I sound -- wrong -- but it's how I feel. It's people like my little brother I care about. And James and Remus and even Peter (Here he ruffled Peter's mousy hair very hard, who scowled and dragged himself away). I want to fight to make things safe for my friends too!"

Remus cleared his throat with the carefully thoughtful expression his friends had grown to love, "I too want to put an end to the terror. But I would also like to bring some werewolves to the good side. I know there are laws passed against werewolves everyday -- but I want them to know that joining Voldemort is not the way to stop them!"

Everyone looked at Wormtail, who looked as sickly as if he'd just swallowed an egg. He gulped a few moments as if he couldn't quite get the words out of his mouth. What was he going to say? Once he'd gone home, he'd received orders directly from Voldemort to join the Order as a spy, and going up to his room, he'd found the Dark Mark hovering over his desk. Lying on the desk had been a message. He would receive the Dark Mark at the end of the summer when cold weather settled in and he could hide it easier. He shivered. A Death Eater had been in his house, and his mother had never known.

Sirius frowned with concern and thumped Peter on the back, "Alright, Peter?"

Dumbledore was watching Peter with a slightly suspicious frown. He knows! He knows! Quick! thought Wormtail.

"I want to join the Order," began Peter, "for my mum --"

"Should've known," muttered Sirius, who was elbowed by James.

"She worries about me so much I think it'll kill her. I don't want her to worry anymore . . ."

Dumbledore appeared satisfied and Peter sighed privately with relief.

"Very good, very good," Dumbledore said, smiling. "It seems my Marauders are not half off the mark! I will later notify the four of you of the next meeting -- and James --" he looked at James down his crooked nose, "I want you to be prepared. We've already got a special task for you at hand and . . . give my regards to your mother." He glanced at his watch. "I'm afraid I'm a bit late for an appointment. Fare well." He smiled at them and marched across the lawn to the road, where he stopped, and was gone with a whirl of his cloak.


	10. Regulus Revealed

Chapter 10

Becoming a member of the Order was, for the Marauders, everything Dumbledore had predicted and more. The work was tiring, and not only was there the extreme risk and grave danger, there were the lies and the family ties.

It was not easy for any of the Marauders to lie to their families. Telling their loved ones that they were in the Order could put their families in even more danger. Sirius, who cared nothing about putting his parents in danger, loathed having to lie because he wanted to see the look of fury on his father's face.

Becoming a spy for the Order was something that Sirius found quite easy. Only his family knew that he loathed Death Eaters and the Dark Arts. Other Death Eaters gladly welcomed him. He was invited to their gatherings and secret meetings, all the while passing information to the Order.

Everyone was convinced that, because of his pureblood background, Sirius was sincerely willing to become one of Voldemort's followers. The only thing that Sirius really dreaded was having to be branded with the Dark Mark. What would he say when it was time? The less enthusiasm he showed in receiving the Mark, the more suspicious his companions grew.

At last, he was invited to attend a meeting where a new Death Eater would be admitted. Voldemort himself would not be present since the new comer had not yet proved his value and was still of little importance.

They met that night on the ruins of an old farm. On the property there was an abandoned well. It was said to retain magical properties connected to the Dark Arts and it was here that the new Death Eater would suffer his "baptism." The new comer was made to lower his body into the well and hold himself up with his arms as the Dark Mark was branded into his flesh.

Sirius was welcomed by a Death Eater, and as he approached the gathering, his eyes fell on the new comer struggling to hold himself up on the brink of the well: it was his brother, Regulus.

Sirius halted, "Regulus!"

"Yes," said the Death Eater beside Sirius, clapping him on the back. "Looks like your brother's beaten you to the punch! He's been ready to receive his Mark for weeks! Oh! And here's another set of new comers --" the Death Eater gestured to a young man, who was entering the grounds with another young man who's hair was so blonde it was practically white. "Sirius Black, I believe you know Lucius?"

Lucius Malfoy lifted a pale eyebrow, "Black and I are mildly acquainted. I married his cousin last Fall."

Sirius pulled what he hoped was a sincerely pleasant greeting, but his smile was more of a grimace than a grin, and Lucius frowned at him curiously; his cold, gray eyes dancing.

"And," continued the Death Eater who had a hand clapped on Sirius's shoulder, "This is Severus, Severus Snape."

Sirius's heart beat a fast tattoo as he met the cold, black eyes of his old school nemesis. Snivelus, of all people, knew that he loathed the Dark Arts and would take the greatest pleasure in unmasking him -- maybe even in killing him.

A slow smile twisted Severus's thin lips, "Black, I believe we've met . . . once or twice."

Sirius smiled back, hating Snape. He knew already his cover was blown. Why not get in a few insults before he was discovered and killed?

"Yeah, yeah, we have. You'd lost something, remember? It might have been your pants . . . you never did take good care of your clothing, Snivelus."

Snape's face went from cold and smirking to drastically violent. He pulled his wand and jabbed it at Sirius, while at the same time, the rest of the Death Eaters crowded round, trying to stop an inevitable duel.

"What's going on here!"

"Wands away, you morons! You want the Dark Lord to hear about this?"

"This is a good way to get killed, Severus!"

But Snape was yelling for everyone to hear, "He's one of them! He's one of the Order!"

The rest of the Death Eaters turned upon Sirius. They were frantic to know if they'd been set up. Were there more of the Order around? Some of them, as if anticipating a fight, ran through the grounds with their wands drawn.

In the uproar, Sirius managed to hex Severus in the face. He dodged through fiery, red hexes and curses; jinxing Death Eaters over his shoulders and yelling in triumph when he heard their cries of shock and pain. At last, he reached his brother and managed to pull him from the well. Regulus seemed to be in a towering fury and shoved him off.

"Reg --"

"You're in the Order!" Regulus cried in disgust.

Sirius stared at him helplessly as together they dodged behind the well to avoid the curses of the other Death Eaters. A duel had broken out between Lucius and another Death Eater. One had accidentally cursed the other. Sirius and Regulus zigzagged across the grounds in the chaos and ducked into the ruined farm.

"You're a Death Eater?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Reg, why did you -- how could you --"

"How could I what?" asked Regulus roughly.

"Be so stupid!" Sirius burst. "I told you not to let Dad --"

"Dad is dead!" Regulus spat furiously. "You'd know that if you ever came around to find out sometime!"

Sirius took a deep breath. Hearing such news, no matter how much he despised his father, had been a shock.

"I know I haven't been the best brother --"

"Ha! Biggest understatement of the year!" sneered Regulus.

"Will you just listen to me!" Sirius cried, almost shaking his brother as he grabbed his shoulders.

Regulus brushed him off, "Why? Why should I listen to you? You never listened to me. I needed you!"

They stared helplessly at each other and then ducked as more fiery hexes shot toward the barn.

"Reg, please rethink this --" Sirius muttered as the two of them crouched together in a rickety horse stall. "Dumbledore can save you -- we can make it seem like you were dead, and Voldemort would never --"

"It's too late," Regulus said gruffly. "I'm in too far -- anyway, what do you care?"

"I'm your brother, you idiot!" Sirius snarled.

Regulus glared at him sideways, "Are you?"

There careful footsteps approached the barn.

"They went this way -- Come on!"

Regulus peeked through the wooden shafts of the stall. "They're coming this way," he said in a low voice to Sirius. "You get out of here, I'll distract them."

"No," Sirius shook his head, "You're coming with me."

Regulus turned to him angrily, and it was shocking to see the hard profile of his jaw. In Sirius's long absence, Regulus had become a man and it was a man that shook his head and squeezed his older brother's shoulder now.

"No, Sirius. It's too late. I'll try my best to get out, but I won't get you killed doing it." He stared at Sirius with his soulful eyes and Sirius knew that there was no persuading his brother otherwise.

"I told you not to be an idiot," Sirius said fondly yet with the slightest trace of contempt.

Regulus smiled, "I know, but I'm not like you, Sirius. I tried to be, but I -- I couldn't stand up to them!" His eyes grew wide momentarily and he peeked again through the wooden shafts. "Now's your chance! Hurry!"

Regulus shoved Sirius away, but Sirius clasped his arm momentarily.

"Good bye, twerp," he said, ruffling his brother's hair.

Regulus laughed bitterly, "Good bye, dog breath."


	11. James Pops the Question

Chapter 11

The Order of Phoenix met at varied times on varied days and sometimes never met at all, but today was a cause for celebration. James Potter and Lily Evans and the Longbottoms had defied Voldemort three times.

Quietly rejoicing, they met in the underground dungeons of Hogwarts during the summer holiday where they laughed, danced, and drank from champagne glasses as they toasted the Longbottoms and everyone's favorite couple.

Years had passed, and though Lily Evans was a bit older, she remained as beautiful as the day James had first laid on eyes on her. Yet something of a Moony-like quality was making her very glum and irritant, though she tried her best not to show it. She forced smiles and laughed at the silly toast Sirius gave, but inside her heart was prickled with hurt. She and James had this victory to share, but there was one victory over Voldemort that she wanted to share with him so, so badly! That victory was love, love blossoming in the shrouding darkness of evil.

"Alright," hissed James to Sirius at the punch bowl. "I -- I think I'm ready."

Sirius laughed, "You sure this time? Last time the cup exploded and the time before that the liquid ink was invisible."

"It'll work this time!" James cried nervously. "It has to! If it doesn't, I'll -- I'll --"

"Throw yourself at my mercy?" joked Remus nearby and clawed at the air with a pretend paw.

James laughed nervously.

"Don't worry, Prongs, she'll say yes. She'd be crazy not to," said Remus, smiling.

"Just take a deep breath," added Sirius, straightening his friend's clothes and purposely knocking his glasses askew.

James playfully threw Sirius off.

"And don't sweat too much --"

"Remember to make her look down BEFORE she drinks --"

"Alright, alright!" cried James, smoothing his hair. "How's the hair?"

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other: "Messy."

James smiled nervously, "Good. Here I go . . ." He tapped one of the glasses on the banquet table with his wand, picked it up, and marched purposely toward Lily.

"Go gettem, Prongs!" Sirius barked, slapping his friend's shoulder.

Lily was speaking pleasantly to Mrs. Longbottom when James approached her. The sight of her smile as she turned it on him made his heart flutter. He'd do anything for that smile, even die for it. But there was also a shadow in her eyes Lily could not hide. He knew why it was there and could only think to himself "I can get rid of that shadow forever if only I can do it right this time!"

"Hey, Lil," said James nervously. He nodded to Mrs. Longbottom, "Alice . . ."

As if on cue, Mrs. Longbottom smiled and went to her husband's side.

James offered Lily the glass he'd tapped with his wand.

Lily took the offered glass uncertainly, wondering at the same time why the entire room had gone quiet. Everyone was watching her, and Sirius gave a phony cough that sounded suspiciously like, "The Glass!"

About to take a drink, Lily glimpsed in the red contents of her glass the liquidy words:

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

written in purple. It took her a second look to realize what she'd read. She looked up at James, who was smiling nervously.

"Of course!" she gasped. "Of course, I'll marry you!"

There was cheer as the glass was dropped where it shattered on the floor and Lily threw her arms around her future husband's neck. James was so relieved that he laughed and laughed as he lifted Lily in his arms and spun around and around with her.

If someone had been walking down to the dungeons, they would have been paralyzed by the noise rising from them. Everyone was in a frenzy to congratulate James and Lily. The music roared and the Order of Phoenix cheered as glasses clinked and wands spouted confetti.

Dumbledore, of course, was very happy for James and Lily, but (as usual) a secret understanding of the doom that might have awaited them nagged at the back of his mind. A child would be born, a child that would vanquish the "Dark Lord" and it would be born to parents who had defied him three times. The Longbottoms' and the future Potters' victory just might be their downfall.

"Oh, Harry, hush now. Everything's fine . . ." but Lily's voice faltered as she stepped carefully around the room, cradling her one-year-old son.

Everything was not fine, and baby Harry seemed to know it. He'd been crying since he'd woken up early that evening from his nap. They hadn't been able to make him stop.

"You think he knows?" Lily asked fearfully as James entered the room and touched his son's hair.

"I don't see how he could," James answered, but there was no real conviction in his voice. He frowned behind his round spectacles and kissed his son's head. "Maybe it won't be so bad for him when we . . . you know . . ."

He wanted to say "when we die" but the words wouldn't come. The Potters had known for a year that they might die, and Harry's constant crying seemed an omen that had sealed their doom to that very night.

"I'll tell him another story, that will quiet him," whispered Lily as she watched her son fondly.

"Good. He likes the sound of your voice, and I need him to be quiet if I'm going to hear when . . . when Voldemort comes."

Lily nodded firmly.

For a long time they looked at each other across the small bundle in Lily's arms.

"Lil -- I --"

"No need to say good bye," Lily said, smiling sadly at her husband. "It will only be a moment before we see each other again, after all."

James kissed his fingers and touched them to his wife's lips, "See you on the other side, Lil." He touched Harry's wild hair again, whispered his goodbyes in the infant's ear, and was gone.

"Hush, now, Harry, don't cry," cooed Lily as she sat in the rocker near her son's crib. "I'm going to tell you a story, won't that be fun? Once upon a time, there was a tatty servant girl who fell in love with a handsome, arrogant prince. Prince James thought he was better than everyone and that bullying his subjects was nothing more than his duty . . ."

As Harry quieted, mother and child fell asleep in the rocker, and the night rolled on.

Outside in the rest of the world, it seemed unconceivable to James that little children ran and laughed with bags of candy. Several had come to Godric's Hollow screaming "trick or treat!" and had fled when the front gate barked at them like a Great Dane. Halloween crept on and the night was still as James watched and waited until at last he went once more to check on Lily and his son.

Lily seemed to stir at once when James touched her shoulder. She looked at her husband imploringly, but James merely shook his head.

"I don't think he's coming to night, Lil. We might have been spared another night --"

But even as James was speaking, the door downstairs burst open. James drew his wand and stumbled from the room, shouting over his shoulder, "Lily, take Harry and run!"

Lily held Harry to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. She could hear the shouts and scuffles as her husband faced Voldemort and the inevitable crash as he was failed.

Someone was taking painfully slow steps up the stairs . . .

Lily looked at Harry, who was sound asleep after her story of four hours ago, and kissed his head.

"Goodbye, Harry, I love you --"

"Oh, how touching," sneered a derisive voice behind her.

Lily placed Harry in his crib and spun around. Lord Voldemort stood framed in the doorway of the nursery, his thin lips twisted in a mocking smile.

"Now . . . " he took a step into the room, "stand aside, girl, or need I show you the mangled remains of your husband's body to persuade you?"

Tears stood in Lily's eyes, but she whispered bravely, "No."

Something in Voldemort's eyes flickered. He was used to being obeyed, feared. This girl showed neither inclination. He would teach her.

"Then you will watch him die," he sneered and moved toward the crib.

Lily pulled her wand, "NO!"

"Stand aside, wretched girl!" Voldemort cried, and sent Lily crashing sideways into the wall with one flick of his wand.

Lily was on her feet in no time and swinging from Voldemort's arm as he lifted Harry.

"NO!" she cried. "Not harry! No! No!"

"Stand aside, girl! I said stand aside!"

"No!" Lily roared, and then with a flicker of realization that Voldemort did not see, she added, "Take me instead! Don't take Harry! Take me instead!"

With a snarl of impatience, Voldemort elbowed Lily off and a blast of green light exploded from his wand. With a grimace of satisfaction, he turned his wand upon Harry, who had burst into screams of terror long ago.

"Now . . . to finish it . . ." but the moment Voldemort's wand hit Harry with its green light, the entire house blew apart and the Dark Lord was sent howling into the night, less than vapor on the air.

Standing on opposite sides of the ruins, Remus and Peter arrived at Godric's Hollow at the same time.

"No," Remus whispered hoarsely, his voice breaking. "No . . . it -- it can't -- James? Lily? James!" He waded through the ruins. "Peter, help me!"

Peter followed Remus into the ruins of the house, sweating and shaking profusely. His master was dead, DEAD, and he would have to run for it. Sooner or later, they would see the Dark Mark, they would know . . . and then Peter stumbled upon the one thing that might allow his escape -- Voldemort's wand.

"Peter, do you see them? Peter, help me find Harry!" Remus was sobbing, but when he looked up, Peter was gone.

"Remus! Remus!"

Remus squinted through his tears and saw Sirius jogging up to him from his flying motorcycle. He grabbed Remus by the collar.

"Moony, what happened? Remus, where are they? Where -- NOOO!" the word leapt from his throat in a rage when he saw James's arm half sticking from the ruins of his home. Sirius slumped to his knees beside his dead friend, sobbing, and Remus slumped with him.

After a long moment of quiet sobbing, Remus cleared his throat and looked up.

"You hear that?"

"Yeah . . ." Sirius went rigid, the dog listening for the rabbit, then staggered to his feet. "It's Harry!"

A baby's horrified wails cut in muffled sobs through the ruins of the house.

"Help me find him! Remus!" Sirius spun and looked at Remus, but he was wiping his face with the back of his hands and turning away.

"No, Sirius, you find him -- I -- I need to report to Dumbledore about what -- you find him -- I can't -- I can't look at their bodies anymore . . ." He stumbled through the ruins to a spot down the road and Disapparated.

"Harry?" Sirius sobbed. "I'm coming, Harry! Hold on!"

"'Salright, Sirius, I've got Harry," said a deep, sobbing voice.

Sirius looked up to see Hagrid standing on the far side of the ruins half in shadow. Tears were leaking out his black beetle eyes. "Got orders direct from Dumbledore to fetch him after Remus told us, well --" His voice broke and he dabbed his eyes with a large spotted handkerchief.

Sirius stumbled through the ruins toward Hagrid, his arms open, "Give Harry to me, Hagrid --"

"No, Sirius, I've got orders --"

"Give him to me! I'm his godfather!"

"And I've got orders straight from Dumbledore to take Harry ter him!"

They stared at each other, both with tears in their eyes as Harry continued to wail.

At last, Sirius slumped and gestured to his bike, "Take my motorcycle, then. I've got -- I've got business to take care of anyway . . ." His eyes hardened and his pulled his wand.

Hagrid watched him warily, "Alright there, Sirius? Sure yeh shouldn't come with?"

Sirius shook his head, "No, you go ahead, Hagrid."

And thus the four Marauders went their separate ways: one to Azkaban, one to a lazy life as a rat, one to a life of rejection, and one to places unknown. Apart the four Marauders shall remain until all have passed through the veil.

Curtain Fall.


End file.
